Das Decameron: Mit den Holzschnitten der venezianischen Ausgabe von 1492

by Giovanni Boccaccio, Peter Brockmeier (Editor)

1072 pages, Paperback

Published March 20, 2024

About the author

Giovanni Boccaccio (1313 - 1375) was an Italian author and poet, a friend and correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist in his own right and author of a number of notable works including the Decameron, On Famous Women, and his poetry in the Italian vernacular. Boccaccio is particularly notable for his dialogue, of which it has been said that it surpasses in verisimilitude that of just about all of his contemporaries, since they were medieval writers and often followed formulaic models for character and plot.

Reviews

[Annika Unterberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I visited Florence in February 2025, I’ve developed a keen interest in the Renaissance and accumulated quite a few books on the topic, both nonfiction and original texts. The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio belongs to the latter as it was written in the middle of the 14th century.

The book is set during the pest epidemic which raged in Florence in 1348 and follows 7 maidens and 3 young gentlemen who withdraw to a secluded villa in the countryside. There to pass the time they each tell a story a day for 10 consecutive days, 100 stories in total. While the topics vary from love to hate and everything in between, they are all entertaining and diverting and, even though some of them talk about religion, quite salacious.

After Dante’s Divine comedy, Boccaccio is the second Renaissance man from Florence from whom I’ve read, and he really created a desire for more: so next up on my list is Francesco Petrarca.

—> 4 stars